Gizmodo
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weaponry
Pentagon's New "Suburb Warrior" UAVs Promise to Try to Kill Slightly Fewer Civilians
The Pentagon's current crop of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are insanely powerful—the "Hellfire" is so named for a reason—but also fairly imprecise, often killing innocent, nearby civilians. The DoD's new UAVs hope to cut down on such casualties. More »
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By Dan NosowitzComment by Max Finkel: tell me pentagon, why do we need to be killing people in suburbs again? 16 Responses | Other threads
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Spy Drones
The Draganflyer X6 UAV Police Edition
The Draganflyer X6 has been around for a bit now, but only recently have Canadian law enforcers begun using it to serve and protect. Here's the first look at these flying UAVs in uniform. More »
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Comment by Nocturnus, the Online Bard: Awww, it's so cute with it's little, "Police," sticker, it's just like a big, mean helicopter. /sarcasm Actually doesn't look that imposing. 3 Responses | Other threads
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uavs
Unmanned Helicopter Flies Low, Dodges Obstacles With 3D Laser Camera
Engineers at Carnegie Mellon University have paired a 3D laser camera system, capable of mapping out terrain and obstacles in real time, with an unmanned Yamaha helicopter, creating an autonomous, incredibly low-flying UAV. Once loaded with preexisting topographical data, the sighted UAV is able to hug the ground at altitudes of 5m, fly around obstacles with just 3m of clearance and sense oncoming obstructions as small as 6mm. More »
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By John HerrmanComment by DayWeSpilledThePaint_GitEmSteveDave: There was some comedian, I think it was Ellen Degeneres, who did a whole bit about why planes need to... 3 Responses | Other threads
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uavs
Air Force Wants Bat-Senses In Micro Spy Drones For "Urban Combat"
We've seen bat-like drones, and even heard of genuine bat weaponry, but now the Pentagon is after micro UAVs with genuine echolocation bat-senses, for real. The Air Force has just awarded a new contract to develop swarms of micro drones that use bat-inspired echolocation for navigation through the complex airspace in urban environments cluttered with trees, wires, buildings and poles. Test flights are due by 2010 apparently. And if the idea of hordes of tiny, flapping military spy drones fluttering though the air doesn't creep you out, you're clearly not in the Halloween spirit yet. [AviationWeek via Danger Room]
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By Kit EatonComment by Curves: I had a bat in my office just a few weeks ago and judging from the screams that were heard... 6 Responses | Other threads
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uavs
Military Arming Shadow Drones, Could Give Novice Teen Pilots the Power to Kill
Today, only seasoned, rated pilots are allowed to step behind the controls of an armed Predator or Reaper drone. However, the Defense Department is planning to change all that by fitting their low-flying Shadow counterparts with precision weapons. Currently Shadow drones function primarily as an intelligence asset—hunting down and collecting information on potential targets. They are also much lighter, smaller and cheaper than Predators or Reapers—which is why the Air Force felt comfortable allowing the most junior officers to pilot missions. More »
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By Sean FallonComment by nutbastard: and here i thought we were screwing up in iraq because we were incompetent! i guess it turns out we... 4 Responses | Other threads
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uavs
Scientists Plan to Decimate Our Enemies With Dinosaurs
It is no secret that there has been a major shift towards UAVs for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. With big contracts on the line, researchers are scrambling to come up with the next big breakthrough in unmanned military technology. One group of researchers believes that the "next big thing" could be a dinosaur (or "flying reptile" if you want to be all accurate about it) that existed 115 million years ago. These scientists are attempting to create a UAV that mimics the physical and biological characteristics of the prehistoric pterodactyl. The "Pterodrone" will be capable of flying, walking and sailing just like the flesh and blood original. More »
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By Sean FallonComment by GadgetPlayPissedSomebodyOff: I was just reading that paleontologists are beginning to doubt that pterodactyls and the like could actually fly at all,... 5 Responses | Other threads
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raytheon
The Best View of the KillerBee You Will (Hopefully) Ever Get
In a competition to secure big UAV contracts with the Marines and Navy, Raytheon just gave an impressive demonstration of their KillerBee's flight capabilities. Parking in the middle of the desert and setting up the system in just 45 minutes, the Raytheon crew flew the UAV for four hours during which time it was able to maintain communication with both Army and Navy computer systems. Raytheon still has to outfit their device with a new custom jet engine to qualify for contract consideration, but their KillerBee takes a heck of a photograph all the same: More » -
uavs
Stanford's UAV Helicopters Learn to Fly Themselves by Watching
They may not look as mean as the Draganfly, but these research UAV 'copters are one step closer to Skynet: they learn to fly complex stunts by just "watching" another aircraft do the same. Dubbed "apprenticeship learning," by the Stanford team which developed it, the system gets its flight plan by recording an expert human operator fly a vehicle. Then its onboard gyros and GPS systems and avionics communicate with a ground-based computer which looks at the human-derived data and decides how to fly the vehicle. It's all very tricky, due to the inherent instability of helicopter. Apparently UAVs like this may one day help firefighters track wildfires, or be sent to see out landmines in battlefield situations... and do other "spying" of course. Creepy. [Physorg]
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By Kit EatonComment by ddtx2: "due to the inherent instability of helicopter..." ...Have you seen a RC Heli recently? 4 Responses | Other threads
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military
Six Fun Things to Do With Serious Military Hardware at a Russian Armaments Show
The International Defense Exhibition of Land Forces went down in Moscow this past weekend, and it seems like it was a pretty a great time, judging from these photos sent in to our good friends at English Russia. First stop, obviously, is to strap on the Tevas and nautical print Hawaiian shirt for a quick sit in this bad-ass anti-aircraft (I think?) battery. And as you can imagine, that's not all the fun to be had for the whole family with all the heavy weapons around. More »
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By John MahoneyComment by NYJATT911: @vasha: Rolls Royce is British and yes, everything is cuz of the Brits...They started industries which in turn lead to mass... 1 Responses | Other threads
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RISE OF THE MACHINES
First All-UAV Air Force Combat Wing Takes to the Skies Sans Pilots Over Iraq
Last week, the 174th Air Force Fighter Wing flew its last manned combat sortie over Iraq in F-16s, which have now been mothballed in favor of MQ-9 Reapers. This makes it the first combat-specific wing to ditch conventional aircraft entirely and toward a force of all unmanned robo-drones piloted from the ground. Welcome to the Skynet era, everyone! More »
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By John MahoneyComment by CrashingOut: hmm, never thought of this before, but a turboprop (pt6?) is far more fuel efficient than any P&W or GE... more » | Other threads
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military
Autonomous Guardium UGV Buggy Tirelessly Patrols Danger Zones So You Don't Have To
We already have plenty of robot sentries/killers in the sky, so Israeli defense firm G-NIUS felt it important to tip the balance a little over to the four-wheeled category (joining the DARPA Urban Challenge folks) with its Guardium UGV. Designed mostly for border patrol and recon missions, the Guardium's onboard telemetry can receive GPS coordinates for adapting its pre-programmed routes on the fly and avoid obstacles on its own. And judging by the video, it's pretty damn fast. More »
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By John MahoneyComment by notwhoyouthink: Reminds me of flight of the navigator. That robotic food cart the kid sneaks out in. more » | Other threads
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uavs
'Airknife' UAV Concept: A $2 Million Knife With Wings
We have seen a lot of UAV news come down the pipeline in recent years, mostly because the military realizes that they can be a safe, effective and cost efficient way to kill, spy, and kill some more. But is the US military ready to shell out around $2 million for a flying knife that can stab the enemy from great distances? More »
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By Sean FallonComment by heroineworshipper: The Iranian version is an autonomous exploding bullet. more » | Other threads
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uavs
Armchair UAV Pilots Striking Afghanistan in Las Vegas, Taco Bell Fueled Comfort
We all know about how the military is utilizing UAV's in an ever increasing amount of missions. And why not? Unmanned aircraft represent a safer and more cost efficient approach to aerial combat. However, we rarely get to see what it is like on the other side of these aircraft—to see the job through the eyes of a UAV pilot. Apparently, it's much like any other job—except you get to kill things in Afghanistan from the air-conditioned Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. More »
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By Sean FallonComment by wild homes loves you but chooses darkness!: @poop-acead: That's a crass appropriation of the facts. The Army doesn't treat these things like casual videogames. These men are... 1 Responses | Other threads
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uavs
Curly-Winged UAV Will Leech From Power Lines, Fly Forever
The next version of the DevilRay unmanned aerial vehicle will feature the ability to dock to and recharge from power lines. Made by Defense Research Associates, the UAV uses down-curled wingtips to make such a low-speed maneuver possible. The four-foot wide, propeller-driven flying wing will use "inverse capped helix winglets" to take advantage of the wingtip wind vortexes that form during flight, providing stabilization in lieu of a tail. More »
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By John HerrmanComment by GadgetPlayPissedSomebodyOff: @InsaneGain: @whiteknight: Hosers, hosers, please! We've had a lot of good natured ribbing back and forth lately between "the head... more » | Other threads
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drone
Research UAV is Preview of Hovering Spy Drones of Tomorrow
Meet STARMAC, the Stanford Testbed of Autonomous Rotorcraft for Multi-Agent Control. Possibly the cleverest remote control mini-helicopter you've ever seen, packed with GPS, sensors and computer power. It's a research quad-rotor that the Stanford team is using to develop algorithms for future aircraft like it. More » -
iphone
Berkeley Group Uses iPhone to Control UAV Squadron
The Center for Collaborative Control of Unmanned Vehicles (C3UV—the "3" makes it hip) at the University of California, Berkeley has developed a system that uses the iPhone to develop tasks, set coordinates and send orders to a fleet of UAVs. Naturally, this development is interesting because it allows a single person to control a large number of small, unmanned aircraft at one time using a cellphone. But, as Wired points out, the clause in the SDK agreement clearly states that "autonomous control of vehicles, aircraft, or other mechanical devices" is a big no-no. So the future of this type of technology is unclear.[C3UV via Wired] -
gadgets
DARPA Technology Autonomously Lands Severely Damaged Aircraft
DARPA, the Pentagon's source for R&D (and lovers of acronyms big and small) have released a video illustrating the Damage Tolerance and Autonomous Landing Solution they developed alongside Athena Technologies. Basically, DTALS is designed to take over for a pilot in the event that the aircraft sustains heavy damage. The system automatically detects the damage and adjusts the flight control system to land the aircraft safely. More »
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By Sean FallonComment by ぶっちぎり IN THE FACE!: I notice that everyone seems pretty con to this idea, which is funny because this is clearly a very early... more » | Other threads
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military tech
World's Smallest UAV Weighs 10 Grams, Flaps Like a Bird
AreoVironment is building the world's smallest UAV, called the Nano Air Vehicle, that has moving wings instead of a propeller or engine. DARPA has given the company $636,000 and six months to demonstrate an ultra-small UAV that will be under three inches long and under 10 grams. More »
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Comment by Thunderdome: There was an article in my FlyRC mag a month or two ago about a guy that's made not one,... more » | Other threads
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uavs
Israeli Institute Plans Battlefield Medevac UAVs
You may think someone over in Israel's Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies had been watching one too many episodes of The Jetsons, but no... this is a real project. It looks like an Israeli consortium, led by the Fisher Institute, is attempting to put together the world's first unpiloted battlefield resupply and evacuation aircraft, dubbed "MedUAV." And as the strangely 1960s sci-fi concept drawing shows, it could take the form of a ducted-fan VTOL air car. More »
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By Kit EatonComment by GadgetPlayPissedSomebodyOff: Antisemitism...ON THE MARCH! more » | Other threads
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uavs
Prox Dynamics Black Hornet: World's Smallest UAV, Too Small for Mr. T
I'm no sissy, but I don't like airplanes. And man, don't be shouting "eclipse" or I'll get angry! But I like this helicopter: it's so small, much better than that big Boeing thing. They say it's the "worlds smallest and most capable Unmanned Aircraft System". The Black Hornet is designed to aid soldiers in the field, or allow rescuers to get a camera into dangerous places. It's got a tiny camera in, you see, like a suped-up toy. Any sucker can carry it in a pocket and launch it by hand. It's 4 inches big and weighs just 20 grams. 20 grams? What kinda fool weight is that? Say 0.04 pounds! Should be flyin' in '09. Unlike me. [Prox dynamics via Pop Sci]
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By Kit EatonComment by FinalValgas: @Curves: I didn't expect you guys to be so supportive of Operation Lesbian Mosquito. Thanks for the ideas. Now... more » | Other threads
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uavs
Raytheon's "Killer Bee" UAV Looks to Sting Boeing in Drone Race
A fierce battle is brewing between Boeing and Raytheon to become the main supplier of unmanned aerial vehicles for the US Navy and Marine Corps. Currently, Boeing holds that title with their battle-tested ScanEagle drone. However, Raytheon's updated Killer Bee design is ready for sale, and the company claims that their aircraft has advantages over its competitor like more room for payloads, more than 100 miles of range, infrared feeds, and guide precision munitions with an on-board laser designator. More »
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By Sean FallonComment by txtanner88: @aec007: You must be one of those kids who was socially repressed growing up. I don't think Billy going... more » | Other threads
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uavs
Plasma Thruster Powered, Cigarette Sized, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Take to the Skies
Cigarette-sized unmanned aircraft, utilizing plasma thrusters for power, may sound like something out of the pits of science fiction's B-rate movie bin to us, but we aren't DARPA. That's right the guys at DARPA are actually working with boffins at Oklahoma State University to make the vision a reality. More »
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By Haroon MalikComment by jtowntex: The final post actually brought some facts to the table. To put a finer point on it the "Red October"... more » | Other threads
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